Lasagna Soup & Cheesy Garlic Bread

It's a nasty day at home. The weather can only be described as gross. It's misty raining and foggy. We are snuggled up on the couch and enjoying a super simple (but super delicious!) meal, created by things we had already in our pantry. I had seen some Lasagna Soup recipes on Pinterest while pretending I didn't need to clean the house on my afternoon off, so I decided to give it a try! And yes, I actually cooked tonight!

Lasagna Soup

Ingredients
Olive Oil
1 lb ground beef
Black Pepper
Red Pepper Flakes
3 cloves minced garlic
4 cup Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
1 (14.5 oz) Can Petite Diced Tomatoes
1 (14.5 oz) Can Crushed Tomatoes
2.5 Tbsp tomato paste
1 3/4 tsp basil
3/4 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp thyme
1 tsp sugar
1.5 Tbsp parsley (plus more for garnish)
8 lasagna noodles, broken into bite-sized pieces
1 1/4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
8 oz ricotta cheese

Directions:
1. Measure out basil, oregano, rosemary, fennel seeds, thyme, sugar, and parsley. Put together in a ramekin and set to the side.
2. Pour 1 Tbsp olive oil into a pan and warm on medium high heat. Crumble and brown beef. Add 2-3 large pinches black pepper and several pinches (to taste) of red pepper flakes. Once browned, pour beef out onto paper-towel lined serving platter or large bowl.
3. Add another 1 Tbsp olive oil into the pan. Toss in minced garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds.
4. Pour in chicken broth, diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, and tomato paste. Stir, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pot to get the delicious flavor from the beef off the bottom!
5. Pour in the pre-measured spices and ground beef. Bring to boil and then reduce the heat to low or medium-low. Allow soup to simmer, covered for 20 minutes.
6. Cook broken up lasagna noodles according to package.
7. Drain pasta once cooked and add into the soup mixture.
8. Mix together Ricotta, Parmesan, and Mozzarella cheese.
9. Serve up soup and place a heaping tablespoon of the cheese mixture on top. Sprinkle extra parsley on top! Enjoy with cheesy garlic bread (recipe below!)

Cheesy Garlic Bread

Ingredients:
Block/Wedge of Asiago Cheese
Sub Roll bread/French Bread/Any loaf bread you have at home
Garlic Powder

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Shred a large amount of Asiago cheese (We had a wedge and I shredded the entire wedge).
3. Take a heaping Tablespoon of garlic powder and mix well with the cheese.
4. Slice bread in half lengthwise.
5. Lay bread out on baking sheet. Put 1/4 of cheesy garlic mix onto each slice.
6. Cook at 375 for 10-12 minutes until cheese is golden brown.